Daeseongsa Temple – 대성사 (Gijang, Busan)

Daeseongsa Temple is located in Gijang, Busan. And it’s situated to the east of Mt. Dalumsan (587m) and southeast of Mt. Galmisan (300m). A little further up the valley and you’ll come to the much more famous Okjeongsa Temple. Uniquely, Wonri Bridge is suspended over top of Daeseongsa Temple. It’s not often that you see this. I think I’ve only ever seen it at Gilsangsa Temple in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. But such is modernity, I suppose.

Up a concrete entry road and past the dark red temple sign that reads “대성사,” you’ll take a turn to the left and be situated out in front of the compact temple grounds. But before making your way up to the main hall, you’ll have passed a Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife) statue halfway up the entry road. And to the far right, just outside the upper courtyard, there are a pair of temple statues. The first is Podae-hwasang (The Hempen Sack). And a little further to the right, you’ll notice a golden statue to a female devotee. Not sure who she is, but she’s obviously deserving of a statue at Daeseongsa Temple.

Rather uniquely, Daeseongsa Temple is divided in halves. To the right is the main hall, and to the left is the Gwaneum-jeon Hall. I say unique, because it’s almost impossible to locate the Gwaneum-jeon Hall. There are no clear signs indicating that there is a second half to this temple. But now you know, so now you can explore the other half of the temple.

Out in front of the Gwaneum-jeon Hall is a diminutive temple bell that hangs freely in the open. The far right wall to this hall is either the monks’ dorms or visitors centre. And it’s to the left, through a pair of sliding doors, that you’ll find the Gwaneum-jeon Hall. Resting on the main altar of this hall is a beautifully crowned statue of Gwanseeum-bosal. To the right of the main altar is another temple guardian mural that’s older in origin. And to the left is a mural dedicated to Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha).

HOW TO GET THERE: To get to Daeseongsa Temple, you’ll first need to get to Ilgwang subway station, stop K124, on the Donghae Line in Busan. From this subway stop, you’ll need to take a taxi to Daeseongsa Temple. The cost will be 7,500 won, and the car ride will last 14 minutes.

OVERALL RATING:3/10. While not the most serene of locations, there is a fair bit to see, especially in combination with the more popular Okjeongsa Temple. Keep your eyes open for the beautiful artwork around the main hall and the beautifully crowned Gwanseeum-bosal inside the Gwaneum-jeon Hall.

The temple sign that welcomes you to Daeseongsa Temple.The entry and Wonri Bridge together at Daeseongsa Temple.The shrine dedicated to Jijang-bosal at the temple.The statue of Podae-hwasang to the right of the main hall.And the golden statue dedicated to a female devotee at Daeseongsa Temple.The main hall at Daeseongsa Temple.One of the floral murals that adorns the main hall.As well as one of the Palsang-do murals that adorns the main hall.The triad of statues on the main altar inside the main hall.The main hall guardian mural.The view from the main all out towards the bell pavilion.The lower courtyard to the left of the main hall. This is the Gwaneum-jeon Hall.